One Spark
by alittlesummerwine
Summary: Batman and Wonder Woman enter their first battle after beginning their secret relationship. Can it survive? Not necessary to have seen the episode A Better World. BMWW. Follows A Girl's Best Friend and Duty Calls.
1. One Thing Leads to Another

The title of this story comes from a line in "A Better World" where Justice Lord GL says, "It only takes one spark to start a fire." Of course, he's referring to a protest – a take on the one voice in the darkness theme. But this story is about the heat of battle and the spark between Batman and Wonder Woman during the episode "A Better World."

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. Holds true for all following chapters._

_Let me know what you think of the new story – review, review, review! I know that you're out there, reading it, so I would really appreciate the comments, critical or positive. It only takes a second, I promise. _

_I'm sorry that I had to interrupt their first date – I didn't want to either! But that's just another aspect of their lives and a perfect lead-in to this episode/story. And don't worry; there will be a combination of action and sweet stuff in this story!_

_Again, the –VvV- means that the perspective is changing from Bruce to Diana, etc…_

One Spark, Chapter 1, One Thing Leads to Another, by The Fixx

_Diana's perspective…_

I'm not sure that I had realized exactly what I had been getting into when I embarked upon a secret relationship with Bruce Wayne, known to the superhero community as the Batman, the Dark Knight of Gotham, an urban legend whose name makes ordinary men quake. But to me, he was now simply Bruce, a man who had shown me an afternoon of magical proportions, a first date the like of which I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams.

Of course, I had understood that Bruce and I were not just two ordinary people, two average citizens becoming involved – dating, starting a relationship, and falling in love. I had known that none of these things would come easily to either of us; we simply weren't those kinds of people. For us, the simple was magnified into the impossible, merely because we were supposed to be heroes.

I accepted that the life I had chosen was one with exactly no private time, nothing but stolen moments for a relationship between battles, work, and monitor duty. And although this was the life that I wanted, had always wanted, there were moments, like now, where I simply wanted to pound something out of frustration due to the lack of available and decent timing.

Fortunately, the thick of battle I was soon to be in was a great place to release my excess anger at the abrupt ending to such a perfect first date; Lex Luthor a perfect target.

By no means would I have written off my first date with Batman as a disaster simply due to poor timing on the part of one of the League's greatest foes, but I will admit that the conclusion of our outing had forced me to consider something I had not before – the single biggest difficulty of a work relationship with my type of work was work!

The schedule for a Justice League member, or a vigilante such as Batman, is not a regulated one – there are no set hours, no paid holidays, and no escaping – there always seems to be a villain, a plot, a curse, something. My time in Paris had been a necessary vacation, but even a short holiday was foiled by Vandal Savage, intent on supreme power and world domination.

Around every turn, there seemed to be some sort of evil plan, as if the villains knew of the budding relationship between Batman and myself and were intent on disrupting our contentment. Our work had brought us together and now, our work forced us apart.

I looked around my room on the Watchtower, taking just a second to peer into the small mirror perched on the wall. I rarely found a use for a looking glass, but today, I wanted to see myself, to see if the fact that I was falling in love shown clearly on my face. Staring back at my likeness, I was unsure – the same Diana was still etched in the glass, perhaps the differences were simply on the inside, in the beat of my heart, the tenor of my thoughts, and the fleeting wish that today could have ended differently.

But now was not the time for reflection, physical or otherwise.

It was time to fight and I was determined that I would emerge victorious at least once today.

Garbed in full Wonder Woman regalia, I headed for the javelin where the majority of my teammates were awaiting my arrival, anxious to stop Luthor in his tracks.

-VvV-

While the day had not been a complete disaster by my standards, I couldn't exactly qualify the outing as a rousing success. Although, really, by Bruce Wayne standards, any date not ending in a hard slap to the face or angry tears should automatically qualify as having the potential of being the best date ever. But, going simply by Bruce's standards, the day had been…_special_. The surprise that Alfred had prepared had literally left me speechless and Diana breathless. The man had truly gone above and beyond in order to give Diana and myself a day of simple pleasures and utter perfection. The entire day had combined to prove to myself that perhaps a relationship between Diana and I was actually a feasible idea. The two of us had much in common – both loving reading and music; we enjoyed the outdoors, even if we rarely had the opportunity to actually get out in it; and we obviously cared rather deeply for one another, even to the point where we had unofficially partnered off within the League.

Similarly, we each had dominant personalities, something to consider for the future. Each of us had been labeled stubborn by our other teammates with good reason and I knew that Diana and I would at some point again be going toe to toe with one another, each trying to prove that our point was the best or strongest. Today, the thought of Diana stubbornly standing against me was a sweet one and a pictorial memory worth keeping. I admired her strength and the fact that she was one of very few to argue with me about anything, ever. And she had disagreed with me before, with varying results. I was looking forward to seeing Diana in high temper again, stubbornly fighting for a cause that she believed in.

Today had shown me that simplicity was the key to Diana and the key to our relationship together - just being ourselves, without all of the elaborate masks and falsehoods that surrounded us, keeping our lives together as simple as possible so that the complications stemmed from work, in whatever form. Right now, simplicity was all about soft kisses, sweet words, and knowing that at any given moment, this was the person you wanted to share that moment with. And I was determined not to be my usual mulish, arrogant, pessimistic self – but I knew that the gallant knight routine would not last forever. However, I also had no doubt that Diana had seen me at the peak of each of these traits and had still consented to attempt a relationship with me.

All in all, I still couldn't believe how successful the day had been, the emergency call from J'onn notwithstanding.

And soon, Diana and I would face another test – actually two: a test to prove that our relationship was strong enough to deal with our lives as superheroes, and that we were serious about keeping our relationship only between ourselves.

Our first trial by fire would involve the infamous Lex Luthor – Superman's nemesis – and general bane of the Justice League's existence. Donning my Bat-suit, I sprinted for the Batmobile, knowing that I might later need my own form of personal transportation to return to Gotham for evening patrols. I headed out of the cave, ready to face the fire.

-VvV-

Once we had determined Luthor's location, we went in with figurative guns blazing. Stealth seemed less imperative than stopping the ingenious criminal, intent on yet another theft.

Armed in his jet-pack battle suit, he constantly evaded our pursuit, all the while shooting out pulsing rays of electromagnetic power. Dodging one of the rays he aimed at me, I instead looked for another route by which to defeat Luthor – or at least keep him in one place - and discovered a large, loose chunk of granite, presumably from where one of the deflections of Luthor's beams had caused serious damage to the structure we were in. Lifting the stone, I hefted it towards Luthor, who narrowly managed to escape the block before aiming another harmful beam in my direction. Quickly crossing my arms in front of my face, I blocked the ray using my bracelets before diving, hoping to distract the villain while simultaneously allowing Superman full frontal access to Luthor, knowing he was more than capable of stopping his archenemy.

Luthor took off away from our confrontation, racing down the open room with Flash giving chase. The villain was stalled by Hawkgirl, attacking him with her mace, but he easily fended her off while quickly turning, pinning Superman in one of his beams, before again continuing his flight.

My face set in full battle mode, without further hesitation, I followed Luthor, noticing that Green Lantern was tracking our flight pattern as well. Pulling up beside me, mid-air, he beamed the light of the Green Lantern at the ceiling just in front of Luthor, hoping to collapse some of the piping suspended from the ceiling and end the pursuit with Luthor on the ground. Instead, the pipe exploded just beside Luthor and the villain continued down the room, constantly glancing over his shoulder to ensure that we still far enough behind. After only a few moments, he continued flying, but turned himself around in the air, blasting the ceiling right in front of John and me. Trapped beneath the dust and debris, I tried not to breathe as I shoved my way out of the rubble left by the ceiling.

It seemed that all of our efforts to capture Luthor had thus far been futile – Flash was ahead of me on the floor, trapped underneath a large container and Hawkgirl's attempt to use her mace as a missile had resulted in absolutely nothing. Luthor was still free, intent on eluding us at all costs. Noticing Superman helping Flash out of his predicament, I dove into the air, pursuing our foe to the end of the corridor and down a small set of stairs just behind Batman and Hawkgirl. A blur of scarlet sped by – the Flash, obviously still in ready and able condition, speeding down to Luthor's current whereabouts. Entering the room, I saw that Flash had already dismantled the weapon that Luthor had been after, knocking him to the side of the room with a quick punch. I quickly unleashed my lasso, wrapping the noose tightly around his waist, pulling him towards me in one strong motion, and securing him for the moment.

From his subordinate position, lying on the ground, he looked up at me with contempt in his eye and reason in his words – "Watch. I'll be out in days."

I looked down at the figure refusing to cower in defeat, irritated by his demeanor and his words that I knew were true, at least to some extent. Glaring at him, I raised my clenched fist to shoulder level, determined change his gloating into something a little more fearful.

"Not with a broken leg you won't." His eyes met mine and still, they were filled with hatred, mocking me with the knowledge that his capture was only temporary, that this monster would again haunt the streets within days, if not hours. But still, I smiled a little to myself; not wanting him to know that I was irritated by his triumphant attitude and content that Luthor would find himself behind bars and serving justice for his crimes for some amount of time today.

I looked over to see Bruce staring at me, unsure if he disliked my statement to Luthor or if he understood the feeling of futility that I often felt at moments like this. I could hear the voices of Flash and Superman, but I paid no attention to them, transfixed, with my eyes on Bruce's. We had survived our first major League conflict since the inception of our relationship and I was pleased to see that neither of us had paid undue attention to the other in battle, each fending for ourselves and for the team as a whole. I gave him a little smile, turning to watch as Flash raced around the room, returning it to its original condition.

Feeling inordinately pleased with both myself and with Bruce, I relaxed, letting the tension ease out of my shoulders. Until a strange noise and a green glowing light caught my attention…

_Anybody else notice that there's definitely _something_ between the Lords' Batman and Wonder Woman? Or is it just wishful thinking on my part? ;_

_What do you think – should they tell anyone? If so, who?_


	2. Numb

_I have to tell you guys, I would really appreciate some reviews…feeling unloved! Well, just a little._

_Also, if you haven't seen "A Better World," let me summarize really quickly, if possible. The Justice Lords are from an alternate universe and they have instilled martial law over their Earth – no freedoms of any kind – speech, press, anything. They aren't afraid to kill, to lobotomize, to silence all objections to their order. The Lords have the same group members, but their Flash died. The Lords' Batman discovers the Justice League that exists on this Earth and they decide to come to the League's Earth in order to indoctrinate their order there as well. _

_Again, the –VvV- means that the perspective is changing from Bruce to Diana, etc…_

One Spark, Chapter 2, Numb, by Linkin Park

"I've become so numb/I can't feel you there"

_Bruce's perspective…_

After the capture of Luthor, I had almost reflexively looked to Diana, standing opposite the room from me, catching her eye with little effort. I understood her anger at the situation, not only at the abrupt finale to our mind-blowing date, but also her ire at Luthor's words – his insinuation that his capture was only temporary. Unfortunately, I knew this to be only too true, having dealt with similar situations in Gotham and within the Justice League as well. It was frustrating to know that Luthor was correct – that at this moment, he was already on his way to freedom, concocting a plot or bribing a guard in order to secure leniency on his sentence. Some days, it seemed that no matter what we did, our actions were futile, only stopping criminals for an instant rather than a lifetime.

I had, though, somewhat cynically, come to look at this at my lot in life, the way that things inevitably would turn out because of the Justice League's need to support freedoms and the rights of men. I couldn't turn away from that belief, no matter what it had and would cost me.

Today, it had cost me a stolen afternoon with Diana, but I knew that the cost could have been greater, no matter how much I regretted the fact that I had been unable to end our date in proper style. But I suppose we had ended it in original and true to ourselves fashion – apprehending a criminal, standing together in a group of comrades and fellow heroes congratulating ourselves on a job well done. At least for the moment.

There were so many things that I wanted to tell Diana right now – to let her know that I understood the emotions coursing through her – but this was not the time. The immediate aftermath of battle was for the cooling of blood, for belief in ourselves and our cause, and for moments to solidify the team as a whole. Normally, this was the part where I disappeared – I didn't _do _the team thing. But today, I was feeling a little more mellow than usual and decided to join in the camaraderie and the instant of bonding.

Feeling a gust of wind whip by me, I watched Flash restore the room to its original condition, removing all traces of the damage and battle that had occurred in its confines. But a strange noise and a glowing green light caught my eye, appearing right behind J'onn, pulsing with heat and energy, and was taken aback when a replica J'onn J'onnz emerged, walking with confidence towards us. The figure was definitely J'onn J'onnz, but with minor costume alterations – a form fitting uniform that covered his entire figure in black, complete with blue cape and bands of blue encircling his waist and lower arms. The replica walked calmly out of the green light and stopped just behind our J'onn J'onnz, causing him to turn around to face the intruder and forcing Flash to stop dead in his tracks.

Our J'onn appeared stunned and at a loss for words, finally stuttering out – "Who are you?"

The intruder, orange eyes glowing, looked completely stone faced, answering, "I'm you."

I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this duplicate, but I listened intently as he described his purpose for being here, in our world, on our Earth. The dimensions of the two universes were collapsing on each other, a fact that their team had recently discovered, and had immediately taken steps to come here in order to prevent this occurrence, hoping that together the two teams could find a solution to this potential Armageddon.

The explanation sounded plausible…

-VvV-

I had been completely shell-shocked at the arrival of the second J'onn J'onnz – this Martian Manhunter who had described himself as a J'onn J'onnz from another universe. It amazed me to see the remarkable resemblance between the two, the costume changes not withstanding. I immediately began to wonder about his purposes, his missions, stepping forward in order to confront this intruder; he had immediately begun to explain the purpose behind his arrival in our version of this world.

Truthfully, I had never heard of alternate dimensions, the fact never even occurring to me. But now, the idea made perfect sense – if Themyscira had existed for so long without discovery by mankind, even protected the gods, why could there not be alternate realities of our Earth as well? And certainly, the thought that there was another League out there, another group of the seven of us fighting to save lives and lands, intrigued me. How could it not? What was their world's version of Wonder Woman like?

Was their version of Wonder Woman secretly dating the Batman as well?

The idea had certainly flitted through my head since the initiation of this conversation, but obviously, I couldn't voice the question. But I was certainly curious to find out more. And I was eager to help save our two worlds, to keep the dimensions from collapsing into one another and destroyed the two Earths.

And I was less than surprised to find out that their world's Batman had created the portal from which this second J'onn J'onnz had emerged. Apparently the man was a technological genius in every version of Earth.

I had inched my way over to stand a few feet from Bruce, knowing that his analytical mind would be the first to find any flaws in the second Martian's logic, proving his story to be utterly false and forcing us to cast him back through the portal from which he came. I couldn't see the expression on Bruce's face, but I knew that his body language had relaxed minutely since the intruder had rationalized his appearance here.

When Green Lantern had asked what help we could possibly be in stopping this dimensional collapse, I had agreed with the question. A villain I could conquer, but how did one stop a dimension from collapsing? Granted, I was eager to help in whatever way that I could to stop this potential disaster, but I could not see exactly how we were to be of help.

And neither did this second J'onn J'onnz. He admitted to us that he was unaware of how we could help the situation, but that perhaps, if we all worked together at the source of the problem, his version of Earth, we could find a solution and keep the two worlds intact. The suggestion sounded reasonable and I could see no reason why an alternate version of ourselves would have to be untruthful to us.

I could hear Bruce, next to me, whisper something to J'onn about reading the intruder's mind, but J'onn replied in the negative, stating that Martians did not do that to one another. Of course Bruce would look behind every door, searching for the truth and making sure that we were not headed into a potentially disastrous situation.

Superman was the first to assert that he believed we should be helping the League of this other dimension, with Flash and Hawkgirl quick to second the idea. I stepped forward, into the midst of the little circle that we had made with one another, stating my dedication to this mission before looking sideways at Bruce, interested in his reaction and whether or not he would agree to accompany us through the portal and to the other Earth. He stood quickly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but once J'onn agreed, Bruce followed him to the portal, and as I walked through, I couldn't help but speculate about what lay ahead of us.

Stepping through the portal on the other side, I was surprised to see nothing but white – as if we were stepping into an ivory box rather than onto another Earth. Following Superman, I stopped when I noticed that the room was indeed a box, eerily reminiscent of the prison cell that I had been held in in Kasnia, albeit with less color and more teammates surrounding me. But still, I couldn't suppress the unnerving feeling that ran up my spine and the worry that entered my mind.

I heard Flash utter the question we all wanted to ask, in his own Flash-like manner, "Hey, don't you guys believe in doors and windows?"

I looked up, startled to see the second J'onn J'onnz begin to phase through the wall, leaving us trapped in the white-walled prison as he muttered, "I'm sorry." I watched as Flash immediately raced to the wall where the Martian Manhunter had been not seconds before, but finding nothing but wall.

Suddenly, the room hissed and spit with power and electricity racing around the entire room, and coursing through our bodies with the power to force me to my knees, driving my mind numb with pain as I fought to remain standing. But quickly, I was overcome, the agony rendering my limbs useless, devoid of any sensation other than pain. Compelling my eyes to open, I looked to my right to see Bruce beside me on the floor, body wracked and shaking with pain, unable to even scream with the anguish pushing him into an unconscious state. I tried to reach out to him, but my muscles were too weak, limp with exhaustion, and, closing my eyes, I blacked out, collapsing to the ground next to him.

_More Batman next time, I promise! Still with me? Is the whole two Leagues/Lords thing confusing? If you have any changes, suggestions, whatever, just let me know-_


	3. Heart & Soul

_I love this review: Ballmaster: _I don't get it. A story as nice as yours deserves 100 times the reviews that you're getting! A person as nice as you're deserves even more than a 100 times:)

Thanks for making me feel appreciated, Ballmaster! And to the rest of you who are reading and reviewing – I really love you guys!

_Also, if you haven't seen "A Better World," let me summarize really quickly, if possible. The Justice Lords are from an alternate universe and they have instilled martial law over their Earth – no freedoms of any kind – speech, press, anything. They aren't afraid to kill, to lobotomize, or to silence all objections to their order. The Lords have the same group members, but their Flash died. The Lords' Batman discovers the Justice League that exists on this Earth and they decide to come to the League's Earth in order to indoctrinate their order there as well, capturing the Justice League and taking over. Does that make any sense?_

One Spark, Chapter 3, Heart & Soul, by Huey Lewis & the News

_Bruce's perspective…_

I awoke from the blackness that followed the intense agony to find myself a prisoner, shackled at both wrists and legs, and for once, at a complete loss as to explain the circumstances surrounding our capture. I took a deep breath, struggling to reconcile myself to my surroundings and get my bearings, forcing my mind to wrap itself around everything that had just happened. Why had the alternate Earth's J'onn J'onnz played a part in our incarceration? My mind raced to consider the possible reasons that this Earth's team could have for imprisoning us – perhaps there was no other team, perhaps the second Manhunter had been forced to trick us into entering the portal, or perhaps the team here was bent on some strategy for world domination, even to the point of altering other realities for their own possibly nefarious purposes.

One thing was certain – I was not going to find any answers while trapped in these restraints. I had to find a means of escape and enact a rescue for the rest of the team. The art of the escape had always been one of my best hero-like attributes, and I knew that if I put my mind to it, I could find a way out of my current situation. Somewhere in this cell block, all of my teammates were imprisoned as well, including Diana. I had seen her go down beside me in that white-walled room and I knew that the most probable conclusion was that she was in the same, if not better condition that I was currently in. But right now, my focus had to be on the team and our freedom.

I looked up at my wrists, trying to discover whether or not I could pick the lock holding together my bonds or discover any type of flaw in the design. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any blemish in the fabrication of my shackles. In fact, the design looked incredibly familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I was bound in an X-shaped form, standing isolated in the middle of a neutral-colored room. Facing me was a sheath of glass, a clear wall so that our activities and movements could be monitored by any outside bystander.

And suddenly, I recognized the design – it was one of my own.

A darkly clad figure strode up to my cell, staring at me through the pane of glass, and I felt almost as if I was staring at myself in a reflection. The same bat-eared cowl and cape, lantern jaw, and bat insignia adorning the uniform. But this figure was standing outside the glass, a shadowy shape watching me like a rat in a cage, a toy for his amusement. He peered down at the numbered padlock I knew would be on the door, resting just above it would be a heart-rate monitor. My current vital statistics would be normal, pulse at average rate, but I had yet to understand why were in this predicament, why this darker version of the Justice League would seek to capture us, to hold us hostage behind glass and walls. As he stood there, examining the beat of my heart, I decided to ask him just that.

"One question."

He looked up at me in a stoic and casual manner, obviously having anticipated this line of questioning from his double. Staring him straight in the eye, I gave him the one word I knew he was expecting from me – "Why?"

He didn't even hesitate, answering in a deep and utterly familiar voice, "Because you and your friends couldn't do what needed to be done." He paused for a moment, then strode away, opposite of the direction from which he had emerged, presumably to check on the other inmates of our little prison. I again began to search for a means of escape, but the voice returned from beyond the glass.

"There are mercury switches at your hands and feet," he informed me in a brusque manner, one I would normally appreciate, but today, the tone of his voice grated on my nerves, irritating me with his smugness and I couldn't contain my glare. "Any motion and I'll know about it."

I began to realize the utter futileness of the situation that we were in, as a team. I was the escape artist for our version of the Justice League – doubtless their Batman would be the same. He could anticipate my actions, my ideas, even my thoughts simply because we were of the same body, the same mind. There was no escaping my double – this Justice League had us trapped.

I looked at him, anger building, as I replied, "You've thought of everything."

He smirked a little, and simply answered, "No. Just everything you'll ever think of." His words merely served to confirm my suspicions – the situation was direr than I had originally realized or been able to comprehend. My brain raced, but no immediate solutions or possible answers came to mind as an escape. After all, how could you escape from your own self?

Listening to the silence around me, I began to hear the sounds of a struggle in the cell to my right, the one in the direction that the other Batman had taken. By my deductions, the groans appeared to be coming from Flash and then, the noise stopped and a voice entered the air – "What are you looking at, huh?"

Silence reigned for a moment before I heard the voice that was similar to my own speak up.

"Calm down."

I was surprised this other version of me was taking an interest in the Flash. Normally, I made it a rule to ignore Flash, particularly his silly antics and stunts. He may have been the fastest man alive, but he was also one of the most immature. His inanity often grated on my nerves, infuriating me to the point where it was simply easier to work around Flash than with him. Because I was aware of his secret identity, I also knew that the Flash was the youngest member of our little group, therefore the most prone to accidents and the less prone to seriousness. His sense of humor could be appreciated at times, but, as a loner, I rarely relied on a sense of humor to get me by.

The voice continued in that same bland tone, echoing throughout the corridor – "You'll appreciate this some day." Yet, something struck me as odd about his voice, a hint of pleasure sneaking into the flatness and something told me that perhaps the Flash was at least part of the key to the mystery of this other Justice League.

I heard Flash pipe up again, obviously angry and letting his bitterness spew forth. "Yeah? I don't think Hawkgirl's going to appreciate it too much."

Immediately, the other Batman seemed to want to put the Flash at ease, his voice picking up in speed and volume.

"That was an accident."

I wondered if this world knew something about accidents, particularly something about the Flash that we had yet to learn. The other members had been conspicuously absent, but I wasn't surprised by that. I, too, on our Earth would have been the warden of this prison, the one standing guard and anticipating escapes while the others completed their mission. And it was the mission that they were out on that was concerning me now.

"She's in our best hospital now and…"

But the Flash was obviously in no mood to listen to explanations and attempts to placate him. Again, his voice snapped out, "I don't want to hear it," and I could almost see the petulant look on his face.

But the other Batman was not finished with his rationalizations just yet.

"Believe me, the last thing we want is to lose another…"

His voice stopped, and the silence was overwhelming now. Obviously one of the members of this team had been killed, lost in battle, and I could only imagine the entire team's reaction to such a tragedy. And from this Batman's reaction to the Flash, I had reason to believe that this team had lost the humor, and often the soul and the moral compass of the team, in losing the Scarlet Speedster.

But Flash had yet to understand the situation. He had yet to understand the reaction and the reasoning behind my counterpart in this world. Instead, he questioned him, "Another what?"

But there was no answer, simply the soft echoing of footsteps and the whoosh of a door closing.

_Informal poll: How many of you have actually seen this episode? How many of you remember this episode?_

_I'm trying my best to explain what's going on – hopefully I'm helping!_

_And sorry, this time no Diana – all about the Bat, baby!_


	4. Wanted Dead or Alive

_Thanks for all the reviews last chapter!_

_Also, if you haven't seen "A Better World," let me summarize really quickly, if possible. The Justice Lords are from an alternate universe and they have instilled martial law over their Earth – no freedoms of any kind – speech, press, anything. They aren't afraid to kill, to lobotomize, or to silence all objections to their order. The Lords have the same group members, but their Flash died. The Lords' Batman discovers the Justice League that exists on this Earth and they decide to come to the League's Earth in order to indoctrinate their order there as well, capturing the Justice League and taking over. Does that make any sense? For anyone that wants to see it – just ask and I'll tell you how. _

One Spark, Chapter 4, Wanted Dead or Alive, by Bon Jovi

_Still Bruce's perspective…_

The plans that I usually concocted to escape were utterly fruitless in this situation. I preferred to not waste the effort or the energy, pinning all my hopes on the idea that one of the others would possibly be able to escape. I knew that the hope was a slim one – I myself had studied the weaknesses of each of my teammates and I knew how to take each one of them down, including Diana, if it ever became necessary. And if I could think of these types of plans, so could he. So, instead, I caught Flash's attention – he was still the key to this situation and maybe, just maybe, he was the one entity of us all that couldn't be anticipated to the same degree. Once the door closed, I couldn't help but try to catch Flash's attention with a dry, sarcastic remark, the lilt of humor in my voice that often stayed suppressed. But right now, humor was the only saving grace I had.

"I think he likes you," I stated, lacing my words with the dry, banal tone that my butler had perfected.

I could hear the irritated tone in his voice when he answered me and I could almost picture the scowl on his face deepening with his words, "Must be my magnetic personality."

Obviously, the Flash had not yet come to the same conclusions that I had – that this world, this group of heroes, had lost their Flash, the humor and the youth behind the team. He alone had been the only member of the team that the other Batman had truly focused on. Speaking to me had simply been a warning, and a form of insight, to see if I possessed the same formidable intelligence and skills that he did. But the Flash had stopped the other Batman in his tracks, and he had responded to Flash, even trying to get the speedster to see the other point of view in this sordid situation. But Flash had yet to understand that he was the strongest link in our chain of teammates because he was the missing link of these Justice…Lords, the element that they had yet to understand or control because he was no longer a part of their world.

"More likely, it has to do with what happened to this world's Flash."

The silence from the cell next to me lasted but a moment and immediately, when he spoke, I could hear the change in the youth's voice, hear the disbelief and the sadness when the puzzle finally solved itself in his head. And his next words confirmed that he understood my statement.

"You mean he's…"

"All this had to have been set off by something," I told him logically. I wanted Flash to realize that he was an important part of this mission, but I didn't want him to focus on the circumstances behind the death of the other team, or even to swell his ego with thinking that he was the conscience of our group. I played out my words with cold logic, not letting any emotion sap the strength or change the tenor of my voice. The thought of losing a teammate, especially now, a particular teammate, did things to my brain that I was unable and unready to face. Instead, I focused on Flash's voice, quiet now in thought.

"But to go this far…even over me…"

The disbelief in Flash voice, the despondent note that told me he was thinking of this other Flash, made me realize that I had to reel him in, had to make him understand that right now, he was the one who could save us, the one who mattered to this mission in a way that the rest of us could not, and to force him to accept the logical, practical side of this situation.

"It isn't that far from what we do, if you think about it."

And it was a true statement, our work was not much different in nature from this team, simply in different in attitude and acceptance. We still tried to believe in justice, in the idea that someone could reform, in acceptance of our legal and penal system, and most of all, we followed the ideals of democracy, of choice. We were different simply in the means by which we strove to bring peace and amity to the world, letting people choose their own paths rather than dictating to them. We were simply a force that was there to restrain those who had escaped from the right side of the path, shepherds leading the flock and chasing down the stray sheep. These versions of us instead used force in order to bring their form of peace to the world, albeit a peace with choices, without decisions, without any leniency. It was an autocratic society, and now, I had determined that they had taken us prisoner in order to instill their system of rule onto our Earth, occupying our positions but taking on greater power in every meaning of the word.

"I'd rather not," Flash told me, voice echoing quietly in the stillness. I had yet to really stop and consider the condition of the rest of the team; I was choosing to focus myself on getting Flash to realize that he was our only escape. I knew that telling him that wouldn't do any good, so instead, I preferred to let me come by the knowledge in his own way.

"You figure a way out of here?" he asked me.

"No," I told him flatly.

"Don't you mean not yet?" he questioned, not making the connection between the Bat that had watched him through the glass and the man he was currently making conversation with, the connection that we two were of the same mind, the same training.

"No. I mean not going to." The statement was odd coming from my lips, but I knew it was the truth and I didn't want to waste my time with lies and pointless hope that I could somehow find any escape that my counterpart wouldn't have thought of.

Silence struck the room once again.

Then, groans again filled the idea and I could picture Flash again trying to make an escape, trying to push himself to find the answers to our freedom. A small smile lit my face – he was headed in the right direction, exactly where I had pushed him. If anyone could find a way out of his cell, right now, it was Flash.

The other Batman had overplayed his hand, talking to Flash and letting out more information than I would have suspected. Normally, I was close-mouthed to a fault and I couldn't imagine this version of me being any different. But still, he had let on key facts about the situation, about what had changed this league.

And now, I was using that information in order to secure our freedom.

Quiet once again, I left Flash to his own devices, taking stock of the situation instead and trying to figure out how to get us back through that portal.

Several minutes later, the piercing sound of a heart rate flat-lining caught my attention and the noise was coming from the direction of Flash's cell. I tried, for once in my life, not to think of the worst, calmly telling myself repeatedly that Flash had discovered some means to help us escape.

A cowled figure dived over the staircase located in front my cell. The glass served not only to let anyone see in, but I could see the distress and the concern written on the face of the other Batman as he raced to Flash's cell, shouting his name repeatedly in increasing volume, the anxious tone escalating with each call. Listening closely over the heart-rate monitor, I could hear the sound of numbers being rapidly punched in, closely followed by the door being slammed open. The next thing I heard was the solid connection of fist to body and I allowed myself a small sigh of relief, knowing that Flash had indeed managed to find a way to fool my counterpart into allowing his breakout.

Hearing Flash's voice echo once again through the hall, I couldn't even concentrate on the words. The rush of contentment and blood rushing through my veins overwhelmed my senses and all I could think of was the fact that I was glad that I had trusted my instincts, that we had avoided permanent capture. I also made a mental note to myself to never trust look-alikes again, and to find a way to stop myself if something like this ever occurred again.

And, in seconds, Flash was standing in front of me, just beyond the glass, working furiously at the number pad in front of my door.

"What are you doing?" I quizzed him.

"Trying every possible combination," he replied with stopping, fingers racing in a blur of red over the numbers.

"9-1-9-3-9," I said to him, without giving him the explanation behind the numbers. Only I knew that Alfred's birthday had in large part provided me with the combination, using the month and year of his birth, a sort of small tribute to the man who had raised me for so many years.

He, for once at normal speed, punched in the numbers in the order that I had provided to him, and with the last press of the button, the door slid open, allowing Flash to enter my cell.

"How'd you know?" he asked me in a curious tone. Still, he had yet to see the link, the connection between we two Batmans.

"They're the numbers I use," I told him, hoping that he wouldn't ask for an explanation and knowing that I wouldn't give him one anyway. But I myself had a question for the speedster – "How'd you get out?"

I turned my head to look at him as he gave me his answer.

"I sped up my heart rate until it looked like I flat-lined." The smirk on his face told me that he was particularly proud of that accomplishment, and of his role in this jailbreak.

I looked at him with a hint of suspicion in my eye. "I didn't know you could do that." And I had never particularly enjoyed being unaware of a teammate's talents and skills. I would have to add this to the list of the Scarlet Speedster.

"Neither did I," he remarked with a hint of chagrin, "But I had to come up with something if you weren't going to."

"I couldn't," I told him, rubbing my wrists where he had unlocked the bonds. The rush of blood back into my extremities was slightly painful, but the numbing sensation was almost erased. "Not with him anticipating everything I could ever think of."

I loosened the metal band around my waist, releasing both my legs at the same time and taking a small step forward, trying to determine if my legs were prepared to handle the weight. And I strode forward, giving him aloud the same conclusion that I had reached earlier – "But who could anticipate you?"

Immediately a blur of scarlet rushed by me, heading towards the other cells while I stood in the corridor trying to determine a course of action. The two most important things were to find where Hawkgirl was currently being held and to find the portal that could return us to Earth so that we could stop whatever plan these Justice Lords had concocted.

As Diana walked out of her cell, I could see the concern in her eyes as she sent a fleeting look in my direction, relaxing when she saw that I was upright, in good condition and intent on solving this mystery. I met her eyes for a split second, just enough to establish contact between us, to allow that spear of intimacy to flare before Superman strode out of his cell, flushed with rage and looking prepared to do some serious damage to anyone fool enough to stand in his way. Turning his way, I heard his words, not exactly surprised by them.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready to kick some serious…"

Flash cut him off, stopping for a time just in front of the giant 'S' and crossing his arms over his chest. He looked as serious as I had ever seen him, ready to risk Superman's ire to get his point across.

"You're going to have to wait on that. They're got Hawkgirl in a hospital somewhere."

The big blue boy scout immediately leaned forward, his expression increasing in wrath and his lip curling in disgust, not only at the situation, I was sure, but of being duped into this mess in the first place.

I decided to put my input into the conversation. "You need to find which one she's in and get there before they hear about this." Turning away, I took one step, ready to go in search of the portal, when Superman's voice stopped me.

"This is your city. You know the hospitals better than we do."

I turned back to him, staring him down as I stated harshly, "I've got a portal to find."

"I'll go with you," J'onn said, obviously ready and willing to lend his expertise and his help in whatever form he could.

"Sorry," I said, the words sounding strange as they left my lips, rarely spoken as they were. "But I have to do this alone." I spared Diana, standing behind J'onn, a speaking glance before I unleashed a batarang and raced off, knowing that time was of the essence.

_And again, not much Diana – Bats is too important right now to the episode! He really saves the day…as is often the case…I love that guy!_

_And I'm pretty sure I know why he uses those numbers – but it has more to do with the comics than with anything in his life. So, again, skimmed over that one and came up with something I thought was plausible. Again, want to know? Ask me. Or tell me what you think!_


	5. Everything Zen

_Thanks for all the reviews last chapter!_

_To see a summary of the episode, at least in part, go to the previous chapters._

_Thank you to my beta, Lavender Gaia, for putting up with my constant emails, my rants, and for sharing my love of BMWW!_

One Spark, Chapter 5, Everything Zen, by Bush

_Diana's perspective…_

_(Finally, right?)_

The rest of us stood around for a moment, still trying to get our bearings in the wake of Batman's abrupt departure. For myself, I was still eyeing the rail over which Bruce had disappeared, leaving us to find the portal and, I feared, fight his own personal battle. I had heard snatches of the conversation between the two Batmans and I couldn't begin to understand how difficult it must have been for Bruce to not only stare himself in the eye, but to realize that his immense abilities and talents were equally matched in this situation. It was rare for Bruce to find someone anyone with an intelligence rivaling his own and to find it in himself, an alternate version of himself, must have been disconcerting to say the least.

Bruce was so often the most arrogant among us, and I was usually the first to admit that it was justified, his faith in his own capabilities. It wasn't any average human who could hold himself among this particular group of superheroes – he was almost a weapon, a man honed to lethal intelligence and schooled in the arts of technology and escapism to an extent that the rest of us could not begin to understand. He was not a dabbler by any means – if Bruce was truly interested in something, he would throw himself in it whole-heartedly, no reservations, intent on becoming master of whatever subject his interest had rested on.

I respected that ability, and was comforted by it, to some degree because it meant that we as a team could rely on the almost supercomputer like brain of Bruce's to find the answers to whatever question or dilemma we faced. But today, he hadn't been able to find the answers himself, he had been forced to rely on his teammates to procure the solutions, even if he had prodded Flash into discovering the truth on his own, the means to our freedom.

That one speaking glance between us had been enough to let me know that he had questioned his abilities and that his confidence had taken somewhat of a beating – a realization that perhaps the one person that he could never best was indeed himself.

That knowledge would never rest easily on his shoulders. They already held the weight of the world at moments and this would only drag them down further. I resolved to deal with the situation as soon as possible, to help Bruce wrestle with his demons and whatever else came about on this mission, but right now, I had other pressing concerns, mainly, finding Hawkgirl wherever this team had stashed her.

Flash took off in a blur, racing around the compound where we had been held, presumably looking for some means of discovering Hawkgirl's location. After a moment, he came to a screeching halt in front of us, telling us that he had found a computer monitor this world's Batman had installed – one means of searching for potential locations.

Following him, we found ourselves in a monitoring room, similar to that on the Watchtower, set with numerous monitors and various pieces of machinery. Taking a seat at the keyboard, Flash began to earnestly search for hospitals in the Gotham area. The rest of us gathered around the room, trying our best to think about what we knew of Gotham City. I, honestly, knew little other than what Bruce had shared with me, but Superman had spent more time in Gotham City than the rest of us and perhaps he could be of the greatest help in that regard. I took a position behind Flash at the controls, resting my hands on the back of the seat while I peered over his shoulder at the screen. We began to run through potential possibilities, each being declined for countless reasons – lack of security, improper equipment – when John hit on a brilliant idea.

"Wait a moment," he said as I turned to my right to look at him, his expression serious and obviously very concerned about Shayera, our team's Hawkgirl. A small grain of my consciousness wondered if perhaps the concern on John's face run a little deeper than the rest of ours – concern for more than simply a teammate, concern for someone he seemed to care very deeply about. I recognized the emotion running through him – I had often felt that way about Bruce, the anxiety about a loved one rather than a work companion, a teammate.

"In this world, we're the bad guys."

"So?" Flash asked him, obviously not understanding where the Green Lantern was leading us.

"Where would you send a sick bad guy around here?" he questioned us and immediately, Superman answered him.

"Arkham."

Arriving on the ground of Arkham Asylum, Gotham City's most notorious mental hospital, home to hundreds of criminally insane individuals, we immediately noticed a change in Gotham. The grounds of the hospital were lush with greenery; cobbled paths wound their way through the lands, and the landscape was a picture of beauty and health, a very different scene that the Gotham I had heard so much about. It was always described as a city of darkness with Batman as one of the few beacons of hope left to its citizens. But this was akin to a paradise, a fertile, bright land that I wasn't sure Bruce would even recognize. Perhaps it was better that he wasn't with us for this part of the mission, seeing what his city could become under the dominating rule of these Justice Lords, their Batman included.

We touched down just outside the main archway leading to the facility and Flash immediately took several steps forward, ready to face whatever we would find inside in order to rescue Shayera. But Superman stopped him, placing a hand on Flash's shoulder.

"Wait here. You're dead, remember?"

"Hey," Flash told us, "The costumes will tip them off anyway."

"We'll just say it's a fashion choice," I informed him. And we took off into the air again, leaving Flash to wander the grounds outside while we located Hawkgirl.

Surprisingly, we were able to walk into the Asylum with no difficulty, but I supposed that I shouldn't have been surprised. Our faces were still those of the ultimate rulers of this world and we had control simply by our identical features, at least for the time being. I was still certain that this would not be as easy as we were being lulled into believing. Strolling up to the reception desk, Superman took the lead of the group, addressing the figure at the desk, seated in a high backed chair currently facing away from us.

"We need to see one of the inmates."

The figure spun around and I couldn't contain my amazement at the man now in front of us – the Joker. But the criminal who wrecked such havoc on our world with his devious schemes and maniacal laughter was now a docile, albeit still green-haired man, eager to assist us. And from the looks on my other teammates, none of us was able to easily process the sight in front of our eyes.

"Why certainly, Superman. Right this way." He stood up and motioned us to follow him through a large set of double doors and we trailed after him, still trying to process the shock of seeing a passive Joker calmly leading us through the Asylum walls. The rogue's gallery behind the double doors was a Who's Who of Gotham's most infamous criminals – Two Face and the Ventriloquist amongst their ranks.

Reaching a locked door, the Joker paused, and the rest of us stopped, knowing that some sort of test was awaiting us. I rested my hands at the small of my back, clasping my bracelets for comfort, a small sign that this was indeed a reality and not some delusional dream.

The green-haired figure turned back to us, a question written on his white face.

"Oh, one little thing. Today's password?" I saw Superman tilt his head towards J'onn and the Martian's eyes flashed a dark orange for a moment before Superman answered, "Applesauce."

"Right," intoned the Joker. He then quickly leaned towards me, pointing a finger in my direct when he stated, "But Wonder Woman was supposed to say it." He pressed a red button on the door in front of us and immediately ran down the hallway, leaving us to our fate. The door slowly slid open and inside, I could see a shadowy figure in a cape, eerily similar in size and shape to Superman. I gasped in surprise as Superman, dressed in his Justice Lords outfit, emerged and stated, "You must be stopped."

"A robot?" John questioned.

"I built mine to take over for me when I went away," said Superman, clearly not that surprised to be facing a likeness of his, in whatever form.

"Looks like the other guy had the same idea," John confirmed, before continuing, "In spades."

The first Superman robot was followed by four others, each identical to the last. They fanned out and then immediately headed towards us. 'Hera!' I thought, trying to block one of the robots with my forearm and unleashing a punishing kick to his midsection. The others were each trying to handle themselves as well against a mechanical Superman, with our Superman taking on two of his eerily similar automaton selves. I continued to fend off the robot that I was facing, trying to find some sort of weakness so that we could end this fight, save Shayera, help Bruce find that portal, go home and take our world back into our hands.

John took off across the room, ripping through one of the Supermans with a blast from his ring, heading through the doors from which the Supermans had emerged in his quest to find Shayera while Superman, J'onn, and I continued to fight. I could see Superman, red cape flaring behind him, take out two of the robots with his heat vision and simply rip the head off another with the might of his fists. Flash emerged from the front door, confusing one of the other robots with his speed before finally hitting him at top speed, causing the circuits to fry and rendering the robot utterly useless. Taking a page from Superman's book, I decided that my fists were the best means of defeating this machine and, gathering my strength and my ire at the situation we had found ourselves in, pummeled the robot squarely in his jaw, forcing his head to snap off with the energy I created. Ironically, as its head flew across the room, the robot said, "Thanks" in a mechanical voice.

We had just regrouped when John emerged from the doors with Shayera cradled in his arms. Immediately, I could see that he had changed a little, his determination and anger almost palpable and at odds with the gentle way he supported Hawkgirl, her figure limp and lifeless in his arms. He didn't even stop, but headed straight for the front door with the rest of us in swift pursuit.

But, exiting Arkham, we were in for yet another surprise – the grounds were littered with police cars, cannons, and tanks positioned in our direction, not ready to let us leave Arkham with our injured teammate.

One of the leaders began barking out commands through a bullhorn – "Don't make any sudden moves or we'll vaporize the entire lot of you."

We gathered our strength, ready to take on what lay in front of us…

_Thanks to my husband for coming up with the awesome title for this chapter – I love it! As for the rest of you, what do you think of this chapter?_

_Next chapter: Batman vs. Batman – I Go to Extremes_


	6. I Go to Extremes

_Thanks for all the reviews & support! I'm still up in the air about who Bruce and Diana will tell during this story about their budding relationship. So tell me what you think now, while I'm still undecided! Girl talk, a little Martian one-on-one, bonding with the blue Boy Scout?_

_To see a summary of the episode, at least in part, go to Chapter 4._

_Thank you to my beta, Lavender Gaia, for putting up with my constant emails, my rants, and for sharing my love of BMWW!_

One Spark, Chapter 6, I Go to Extremes, by Billy Joel

_Bruce's perspective…_

I knew that this was one part of the mission that I had to do on my own. I had left the building where we had been held as swiftly as possible, knowing that no one would dare to follow me, but still taking no chances that one of the team members would decide to tag along. This part of the mission was one of the most critical and I knew they would need strength in numbers to rescue Shayera, but I needed to reveal a little bit of myself and find the Bat-cave. I knew that the portal would be there, in our mutual lair, and the secrets to the Bat-cave were still my own.

Both Superman and Diana had visited the Bat-cave, but neither knew of all the entrances that were available to someone seeking to enter it. Superman usually arrived by the front door as Clark Kent and Diana had only come by teleporter; each of those options was closed to me this time. I would have to find another route to enter and I couldn't count on the other Batman being out for long. He would eventually awake and head here, knowing that this was the first place that I would go seeking the portal. I couldn't be sure that he was locked up tight, that he had installed the same mercury switches on the other's shackles that prevented my escape. And I hadn't taken the time to check, knowing that every second allowed the potential for the Justice Lords to be inflicting their form of justice and brutality on our Earth.

Using one of the secret accesses that only few were privy to, I entered the Bat-cave, almost an exact replica of my own, complete with costumes and computer. But this Bat-cave had a few minor alterations, the main one being the glowing green portal located in the main area of the cave, just to the side of the main computer terminal. I could hear a soft whooshing sound emanating from it and could only imagine the detailed work and time that had gone into its conception and construction. I walked over to it and stood in front of it for just a moment, knowing that directly on the other side lay my Earth, an Earth that was right now in peril, losing its freedom and its choices. I walked to a panel just to the right of the portal, connected to the machinery, trying to get a closer look and wanting to examine the components of this monstrosity.

A batarang sliced through the air, pinning my cape just below the panel and causing me to jerk in surprise. I had known that the other Batman would find me but I had anticipated having more time. I had underestimated myself, at least, this other version of myself. I turned quickly and found myself the recipient of a fist to my jaw. Flying backwards, I landed hard on my back, watching the other Batman launch himself at me. Raising my knees, I planted my feet on his stomach and launched him behind me, but I knew that he would be back in his feet quickly. I began to realize that this was a battle that neither of us could win – we were equally matched in strength and agility, having received the same training by the same masters. The only way for one of us to walk away alive was to use the one tool that I had always relied on to formulate an escape – my brain.

I ran at him, engaging him in hand to hand combat, but again, feeling the painful sensation of a fist ramming my jaw, and I groaned as I was thrown back over a ledge into the blackness of the cave. I landed hard on feet, jarred, but still moving, turning back to peer up at the other Batman, perched on the side of the ledge form which I had plunged.

"I knew you'd come here." His voice echoed through the cave, drowning out the sound of the portal and my labored breathing. "Just like I knew you're going to…"

I let loose a batarang over the shoulder of the other Batman, into the ceiling behind him and flew through the air to gain ground, to force him to be on the side of the ledge, defending his position. But I remained hidden in the shadows, using the darkness to shield myself, trying to think, to force my brain to come up with some way of defeating this foe. But I could still hear his voice.

"What are you hiding for?"

I decided to drop back on a reliable favorite of mine when dealing with a criminal mastermind, even if in this case, the mind was practically mine. I used a version of Alfred's dry wit, one I had perfected over the years.

"I do my best work in the dark."

"I used to think that too," he stated calmly and I could almost feel his eyes boring through the darkness, searching out my location as I tracked his movements through the cave. The stalactites hung from the ceiling, pointed stakes in the darkness, and still he continued speaking. "But what have you ever accomplished from that, besides scaring a few punks half to death and putting a few more in jail."

His point was a valid one, but I refused to dwell on that right now. I needed to keep my mind calm and emotionless and I knew that he was trying to provoke me into anger, to provoke me into losing my cool, to understanding him and joining their side in this fight.

"It all adds up," I said to the darkness.

He continued walking through the cave, moving steadily closer to my location. "Not fast enough. If you really want to make a difference, if you want to change the system instead of just patching it, you can't be subtle, you've got to step into the sunlight, take over, like we did."

He paused for a second, continuing to wander through the cave and I couldn't help but listen to his words, couldn't help but think of the fight with Luthor this afternoon and his words, the futility I had felt knowing that this capture wasn't permanent, that the criminal would elude the system once again. But I forced his words from my head, and instead, placed a batarang in my hand and crept to a standing position, tracking my prey just as he was intent on doing to me.

He again began talking, trying to force the reasoning behind his decisions on me. "Think about it - a world where there's no crime, no victim, no pain…"

"And no choice," I stated, knowing that I was close to my prey and preparing to strike. I turned to see him propelling himself at me and I ducked to the side, slicing his forearm with the batarang and sending him over a ledge this time.

He landed, holding his forearm and gathering his strength again. I decided to try out my own brand of reasoning – this could work both ways.

"Who elected you anyway?"

"Who elected _you_?" he answered, ire clear in his tone. I continued stalking him throughout the cave, leaving the batarang ready in my hand. "The problem with democracy is it doesn't keep you very safe."

"It has other virtues," I told him calmly, determined to keep my head and my wits about him. He could strike from behind again and I didn't want to be caught unawares. I was perversely pleased that I had come alone – I alone could understand his man, his motives and his reasoning. I was this one with one difference – I still believed in reform, in justice, in choice. "But you seem to have forgotten them."

Again, the voice rose in the darkness, now laced with determination, with conviction in his beliefs, his choices.

"_I _didn't forget! I just chose peace and security instead."

Now my voice was filled with anger – I provided peace and security to Gotham but I managed to combine these virtues with democracy, with freedoms unavailable in this world.

"_You grabbed power!"_ The one thing that I had stood against, the one thing that I had never sought for myself and it aggravated me to the extreme that this other version of myself thought that he was worthy of that power. I suddenly spied him, lurking on a ledge below me and raced towards him as he began to speak –

"And _with_ that power, we made a world were no eight year old boy will ever lose his parents because of some punk with a gun."

I stopped dead in my tracks, batarang raised above my head in preparation for throwing, but instead, I dropped it, my brain racing with emotions and the understanding of why this Batman had created this world – so that he could save and protect others. Wasn't that what I was trying to do as well, albeit often ineffectually? I swallowed, hearing the batarang clang repeatedly as it hit the cave walls, finally landing on the ledge below, just behind the other Batman.

I stood up and looked him dead in the eyes, speaking brusquely, my throat closed with remembered loss – "You win."

Together, we walked up to the main computer, where a red light signaled an alert of danger in the city. He pressed a button and a screen filled with my teammates, my friends fighting to free Hawkgirl from Arkham and suddenly, I remembered what I was fighting for – for us, for choices, for the belief of the good in people. I was the cynical one of the group and the others were the ones who had the belief in the good, in the positive of people, particularly Superman. And suddenly, Diana came into view – she always believed in people, in their inherent goodness. She even believed in me, one of the only ones to do so in a long time. I kept silent, knowing that my convictions were back and hoping that somehow, I could convince this Batman that what he was doing was wrong – was against everything that the word justice stood for.

"Your friends are tearing up Arkham," he told me as I began to walk away, heading towards the Batmobile.

"Then shouldn't we stop them?" I asked him flatly, hoping that he still believed in my act, in my belief that he was correct, that this world was superior to my own. I wasn't doing this for me, I wasn't fighting in Gotham on my Earth for me – I was fighting to save lives and in some small way, for my teammates. We worked well as a team, each of us with different strengths and weaknesses and we had used them effectively countless times to stop criminals and villains. I couldn't turn my back on my friends, my teammates, or on myself.

Ensconced in the Batmobile, we raced through the streets of Gotham and I could scarcely believe that this was the same Gotham. The city was lit by the sun, the streets packed with people scurrying about their days in contentment and busyness rather than fear.

"I can't believe this is Gotham," I told the man sitting silently next to me in the passenger seat. "Where's the litter?"

"If you want people to respect the big laws," he intoned, "You have to enforce the small ones." I looked sideways at him and pulled up at a red light, stopping to let the rest of the traffic pass.

"What are you doing?" he asked me irritably.

"The small laws, remember?" I answered, looking beyond him at a restaurant situated at the corner. A patron was complaining bitterly about his bill and the poor service when the police pulled up beside us, armed in full armor and chaining the patron in handcuffs as they hauled him away in an armored van, sirens blaring. The van pulled forward into traffic and the patrons, looking at the Batmobile, immediately turned back to their meals, quiet with passiveness.

"They'd love it here, don't you think?" I asked the other Batman, who was still staring at the spot where the restaurant patron had been seized.

"Who?" he questioned, turning back to face me.

I looked him dead in the eye and said in a falsely light tone, "Mom and Dad. They'd be so proud of you." I laced my last words with venom, knowing that if he could use our dead parents against me, I too could use that knowledge to show him that he should not be proud of what he'd accomplished in this world – he should be ashamed. Our parent would have been shocked at the sterility of this world, the passiveness – they had strove to take care of everyone, to believe in the little people, in reform.

He looked forward again and in a deep, emotion-filled voice stated – "Just drive." And so, when the light turned green, I continued on to Arkham, giving my other self some time to gather his thoughts.

Arriving at Arkham Asylum, he unleashed a batarang, noticing the battalion of troops trying to stop the rest of the Justice League from leaving the area. I remained in the car, still overwhelmed, but content knowing that my own decisions had been ones that my parents would have been proud of. I could see the troops relax their guard and the other Batman leading the group, including Hawkgirl, back through the Asylum so that we could rescue our own world from his teammates.

He led us back to the Bat-cave, back to the location of the portal. I surreptitiously checked Diana, making sure that she hadn't suffered any physical harm while rescuing Hawkgirl from Arkham. Unable to find any unaccounted for marks, I looked up to meet her eyes. Although I knew that she was unable to see my eyes through the cowl, I gave her a slight nod, affirming that I was indeed unharmed. I knew that later she would seek me out, once the mission was completed, in order to truly confirm that I was in stable condition, both physically and mentally. I had a feeling that she understood that it had cost me something to go one-on-one with the other Batman, to use our parent's memories against both of us.

Of course, Flash, ego-driven, began questioning the other Batman about the loss of Flash and how it had affected his team, leaning over his shoulder as the cowled figure was typing, seated in the computer chair.

"So, without your Flash, the Justice Lords went rogue?"

"It wasn't quite that simple," he answered, turning to giving Flash a slightly exasperated look.

"Hey," said Flash, "He was the conscience of your group. And that means I must be…"

"C'mon, Jiminy," Green Lantern stated harshly, exasperation also present in the tone of his voice. He took off into the portal, still carrying Shayera in his arms, closely followed by Diana, Superman, and J'onn. Flash, for once, actually walked into the portal at a normal rate of speed for a human being. I trailed the group, stopping just in front of the glowing green light, turning back around to face the other Batman, to acknowledge him one last time. After several seconds, he gave a slight nod, a symbol of respect, and feeling justified, I turned away, striding through the portal.

_Next chapter: Right Kind of Wrong – The Justice League crosses a line in order to defeat the Justice Lords._


	7. Right Kind of Wrong

To all my reviewers – I love you all! You alone make me want to keep writing this story and I appreciate it! )

Summary for "A Better World" in Chapter 4. This chapter takes a little to get into (Longest chapter so far!) – I started rambling on as Wonder Woman in my head and it came out on the page! But I do get to the action, just bear with me!

Chapter 7, Right Kind of Wrong, by LeAnn Rimes

_Diana's perspective…_

Stumbling out the other side of the portal, we found ourselves surrounded by darkness, the night sky lit only by a scattering of stars over the city of Metropolis. Silence reigned in the stillness of the night, but it still felt odd, as if something was wrong with the very fabric of the city, and the world itself. I took a moment and simply breathed deeply, allowing myself to focus and to channel my anxiety over my new homeland into strength, into anything that would get me through the battle that I knew was soon to come.

We were up against ourselves, an almost impossible task. But luckily, we knew it from the start. We knew exactly what slim odds we held and we simply had to find a remedy for them, a solution that would allow us to reinstate our positions in on Earth and depose the Justice Lords from our reality. This was not going to be an exactly task and I took another cleansing breath, praying to the gods for wisdom and strength as I prepared for the encounter looming up ahead.

This fight was somewhat different – this fight was for democracy itself, and although I was a newcomer to democracy, I was not a newcomer to choice. Themyscira had been bound to remain isolated because of our choices as Amazons and I myself had chosen to leave Themyscira in order to help the rest of Earth, to eventually join the Justice League and to save the planet from the alien invaders. In making this choice, I had truly found a new piece of myself – I had found friends, enjoyed the company of men, used my talents to fight evil, and most recently, I had stumbled upon love in the oddest and most sensible of places – with a teammate who ruled in the darkness and the shadows. I looked up to the night sky and smiled – the paleness of the moon cast shadows along the pavement and the stars provided only faint light in companion – Batman did his best work at night.

And perhaps I could be a light for him, a star, a beacon of hope to help cast out some of the shadows and the night that had almost overtaken his life. I knew that Bruce had faced tragedy with his parents, but I was unaware of the entire story and I wanted it firsthand. I wanted Bruce to be able, to be strong enough to tell me himself. I also knew that today had cost him something, that taking on the other Batman had cost him a piece of himself and I was determined, after we defeated the Justice Lords, to resurrect that piece, or to reconstruct it if need be. He wasn't alone in this world anymore and I was intent on proving that fact to him in whatever manner seemed most appropriate and most easily accepted. I had never been one to back down from a challenge and Bruce certainly seemed that.

Only yesterday we had been simply enjoying the pleasure of each other's company and today, our lives, our entire world was at risk due to alternate version of ourselves. And the question was certainly brought to my mind about why, what had turned _us_ into them, what had been the final straw that had set them off on this course of destruction and despotism. It was certainly something to consider. I had found myself frustrated at how criminals circumvented the justice system and thwarted us at every opportunity possible, just yesterday with Luthor in fact. But I was unsure of what I would have to face, what I would have to feel, in order for me to take someone's soul away from them, to take their life without actually taking a life – just as the Justice Lords had been doing in their own world. The lobotomized victims were scarcely recognizable – and scarcely human for that matter, little more than skeletons and skin, unable to truly think for themselves. To try and reform a criminal and place him back on the moral and proper path was one thing, but to force someone to lose their ability to think, to take away their freedom of choice, the one thing that truly made them human, was a step that I was not sure I could ever take. And the realization made me…well, proud, and a little more confident in myself.

And I knew that I would have to help Bruce to get his confidence, and his arrogance, back firmly in hand. For a moment, outside Arkham, I had believed that Bruce had overpowered his counterpart and donned his costume. But I had quickly realized that this Batman was not the Batman who caused my heart to pound and my blood to race. I hadn't even had time to worry before I understood that this Batman was here to help us, to rescue us and return us to our right world. All tension had left my shoulders and I had simply wondered what price Bruce had paid in order to exact our rescue, what tactic he had used to turn this Batman against his team. It took a great deal of reasoning and logic in order to alter the course once Batman had decided on it, whether as a team strategy or in his head, his stubborn, stubborn head. As Flash would say, if you looked up stubborn in the dictionary, there would be a certain cowled figure pictured next to the definition.

Coming out of my thoughts, I realized that unknowingly, I had started walking and that Bruce was speaking –

"They're as strong as we are and just as smart, but they're willing to kill." I continued forward, recognizing that Bruce was simply talking out loud, explaining some concept to the rest of us merely smart, not intelligent heroes, and that he already had a plan formulated in his mind. To stop would mean that I questioned his ability to provide us with a solution that we could live with and that was patently untrue. I knew that come what may, Bruce would find a way for us to defeat the Justice Lords. If he could change the strong-willed mind of his counterpart, he could certainly answer for us how we were not only going to win this fight, but survive it as well.

"What are you saying?" Superman stopped, turning to face Bruce as he began to question him, obviously not realizing that the formidable Batman would already have a strategy in mind and firmly in hand. "That we have to be willing to kill too? I won't cross that line."

"How else can we stop them?" came the deep voice of the Batman, clearly leading Superman towards some reasoning that he, the smart one, had already come up with. The rest of us would ultimately be easier to convince and I had a feeling that Superman would be the least likely to adapt easily to Bruce's plan.

"You're the smart one," Superman stated with a smirk in Batman's direction, "You figure it out."

"We can't do it," Batman said, stopping to stare at Superman out the corners of his eyes. "Not unless we're willing to cross some kind of line." And the red-caped superhero stopped, eyebrows scrunched in thought, ready to hear that plan that Bruce had organized in his head.

The plan involved numerous points of intelligence and tactics coming together in order to save our world and to stop the Justice Lords. The easiest part was an understanding of their arrogance – their strategies and their brutality – and we set up the plan according, first drawing the attention of the Lords with an escaped criminal – one that they would feel forced to impede the escape of and from what we had learned from our time on their Earth, the first criminal mastermind they had felt necessary to stop, to kill, and one that Superman would take quite personally – Lex Luthor.

From inside the walls of the prison, just outside Luthor's cell, we waited. Hearing the crashing of bricks and mortar, we knew that the time to set our plan in motion had begun – here we would cross a line, but we would stand and fight another day to save democracy and to save lives.

As J'onn, returning to his normal Justice League form, so easily shedding the outer skin of Luthor, phased through the walls of the cells, we returned the favor that the Justice Lords had given us and electrified the room, sending volts of power shooting around the room and weakening them. The muffled screams and moans were clearly audible where we were positioned, but we stood firm and continued the torture until history again repeated itself – the metal clang of mace on the door of the prison cell echoed through the prison, blasting the door off its hinges and halfway across the corridor.

An enraged Hawkgirl stood, staring at us with pure menace in her eyes and obviously intent on revenge for her capture and subsequent voltage torment. John Stewart, our Green Lantern, stood just outside the cell door, but on the floor below, and he seemed utterly unable to move, obviously remembering what the Justice Lords Green Lantern had done to our Hawkgirl, hurting her so badly that she was still unconscious.

"Do it!" Batman yelled, but the moment had already passed and Hawkgirl took off into the air, hurling her electrified mace at Batman and the voltage machine, imploding it with a fiery blast. Stepping back, I watched as Batman shielded himself from the shrapnel with his cape while Green Lantern became intent on stopping the Justice Lords' Hawkgirl's flight. He sent out short bursts of green at her, finally catching her in the lower leg and, with a resounding crash and a cry of pain, she careened into the far wall, slumping to the floor. Our J'onn stopped where she lay, hoping to stop her before she could do more damage and allow her teammates to escape.

From the doorway of the prison cell emerged the other J'onn, who quickly morphed into a four armed reptilian creature, increasing in girth and size as he made his way through the air to his green skinned counterpart. And suddenly, there were two monsters filling the skin with limbs and tails, fists flailing, the figures almost identical but for two missing limbs on our J'onn. They smashed through the ceiling, sending rubble and debris crashing down to the floor below, forcing Batman to run, rolling free of the falling wreckage.

Green Lantern had made his way outside the door of the cell, standing silently with his back pressed to the doorjamb of the cell, his ring prepared to stop anyone intent on escaping. He took one swift step, planting himself in front of the open door and was immediately thrown backwards by an enormous blast of green light, pinning him to the far wall and through the dust from the ceiling debris materialized the Justice Lords Green Lantern, green light shaped into the form of a deadly axe aimed directly for John's throat. Teeth clenched, John held the light between the flat of his palms, millimeters from his collar and the end of his life. Straining, he twisted the axe in his hands and let loose with his fists, punching his counterpart square in the face.

I, however, had other things on my mind while this battle ensued – namely the Justice Lords Wonder Woman, this creature who had spurned the mantle of Athena and instead taken on a costume with no meaning, no Amazonian pride behind it. I looped my lasso, pulling it tight around the other woman's waist, surprising her into the trap and hauling her in. She was determined to change the victor of this skirmish though, and, although pinned at the elbows, managed to get her hands around the rope and yank it, sending me straight into the heel of her foot, obviously where she thought I belonged. Falling backwards, I could see her following my path and when she yanked on my hair, I turned on her, fists flailing, each of us unleashing a fury of punches. As the fight continued, I prayed to the gods to help us and reward us with victory this day.

The last to emerge from the prison cell was the Justice Lords' Superman, immediately assaulted by a barrage of whatever debris was handy by the Flash. Moving so fast there was barely a red blur, Flash continued to throw until suddenly, he realized there was nothing left to use as a projectile. Moving quickly, he ducked Superman's initial assault and ducked each of his punches and I could hear him taunting Superman as he continued to elude the fists flying at him before whipping Superman into him and creating a whirlwind of scarlet, throwing the Justice Lord through the ceiling with the force and out of my line of sight and Flash in hot pursuit.

Again, I felt a fist ram my face and I went down hard, falling into the floor and I lay there in agony, struggling to move, even to breath. I could see Bruce running towards me, intent on stopping this Wonder Woman, but she gave no mercy, no quarter, plucking him up off his feet by his neck and staring him in the face, ready to mercilessly pummel him with no further provocation. Instead, as if he were weightless, she tossed him to the ground, knocking him off his feet and onto his back. Before he could regroup and rise, she grabbed a large chunk of the debris and hauled it over her head, her objective obviously to destroy the cowled man in front of her and I knew that I could fight to stop that with my last breath. She _could _be beaten and I was the woman for the job. Gathering my remaining strength, I yanked my tiara off of my head and sent it soaring across the room, straight for my counterpart's head. She turned in surprise and the metallic thunk echoed across the room and I burst with satisfaction. I had just _found _the man, for Hera's sake! I wanted him in one piece and of course, my double would realize the significance behind the demise of the Batman, at least, the significance to me in particular. Before I could move, she was up again and this time, heading straight for me, and again, the punches flew, each of us absorbed in the battle between us for dominance.

Around me, the other Justice Leaguers were doing the same – although I could only see J'onn and Green Lantern from my position as Batman had left the room and I soared through the ceiling myself, knowing that I needed to get the other Wonder Woman in an open area. Continuing our combat, a new arrival appeared on the rooftop, just above the room where the Flash and Superman were currently locked in a struggle, with Flash being pinned by Superman and a worried expression on the scarlet speedster's face.

And a shaft of pulsing light hit the air, aimed directly for the Justice Lords' Superman, the first of them to turn rogue and the first that it would be necessary to conquer. The new arrival was our Superman, accompanied by none other than Lex Luthor, his archenemy. In Lex's hands was a device crafted into the shape of a large ray gun, the source of the pulsing light enveloping the alternate reality's Superman. The man in the white cape stumbled in the blast, ultimately falling to the ground, unable to stand or fly, stopped in his tracks and lying weakened on the floor. Luthor then turned the weapon on the other members of the Justice Lords – Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, J'onn J'onnz, and finally, the other Wonder Woman. Each, in turn, fell to the ground, completely ineffectual and rendered totally helpless. I sighed in relief, glad that we had indeed emerged victorious from this battle, even if it had meant crossing a line, albeit a line we had to cross in order to secure both democracy and freedom. Breathing heavily, I listened to the conversation between the two Supermen.

"It's a power disrupter. And yours are now gone," said the tall figure, red cape floating in the breeze. The villains strained on the ground, but they were still unable to exert their powers, too weak to even stand. From behind him surfaced Lex Luthor, still holding the power disrupter, but its barrel was now pointed at Superman, our Superman.

"This would be so sweet," he stated with excitement lighting his voice, "But a deal's a deal." He handed the weapon to Superman and turned, leaving the premises.

"He received a full pardon in exchange for his help," said our Superman.

"Everything he does from now on is your fault!" yelled his counterpart.

"It's a high price, but it's better than the alternative," he declared, and each of us took a prisoner firmly in hand, prepared to lead them back to the portal from whence they came.

_That's all for this chapter, folks!_

_It's a little thing of mine that if I like someone enough to add them to my author or story alerts, I always make sure to let them know what I love about their story, or even just that I like what they're writing. And I would love it if you all would let me know what you're thinking! Even if you're just reading it because it makes you laugh it's so awful, I just want to know. Sorry for the rant, but thanks for reading it! _

_Next Chapter is either:_

_More than Words, a conversation with a certain telepath…_

_Tell Her About It, a visit with Shayera in the med-bay where things are revealed_

_Or_

_Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees) where a Princess and a Dark Knight have an enlightening conversation…_

_Any chapter in particular you'd like to see?_


	8. Falling in Love Is So Hard on the Knees

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Justice League, Batman, Diana, or any of the rest of them. Although wishes do sometimes come true!_

_To all my reviewers – Thanks! I appreciate all the reviews and the feedback and thanks for sticking with me through this story and others to come (I hope!)_

_Again, the perspective changes with –VvV-_

Chapter 8, Falling in Love (Is So Hard on the Knees), by Aerosmith

_Diana's perspective…_

Even after heaving my counterpart through the glowing green portal, I still had yet to come to grips with the feeling that had overtaken me when I had seen, slab of debris raised over her head, the other Wonder Woman advance on Bruce, intent on destroying him in front of my very eyes. Watching an alternate version of myself trying to crush Bruce, to defeat him in a way that would destroy both him and me, was something that I still had yet to completely process, and the rolling and heaving of my stomach provided evidence to the fact that I was still not completely over the shock. In fact, I had come to a realization sometime before I had deposited my double back in her world and the thought still left my knees watery and my body weak-limbed.

Consciously, I knew that we, Bruce and I, led dangerous lives with the possibility of death looming at every turn, or every villain, but this was the first time since we had become a couple that I had truly had to face the possibility of life without Bruce. And that future looked bleak and lonely indeed, tinged with uncertainty as it was. I had sometimes wondered if I was destined to be alone, to face an eternity of lonely, empty nights without the companionship of my sisters, without the fulfillment of love, someone to stand beside me in the years that spanned ahead of us.

But this relationship had given me hope, had made me realize that there was someone out there for me, to stand beside me not only in life, but in battle, and I was unsure if now Bruce and I could go back to simply being friends, to be nothing more than teammates and comrades. Our first date had been magical – a time filled with enchantment and affection – and my heart had truly been at peace for the first time in a long time that day. I had not realized the extent to which I had grown so lonely, how much I missed the beauty of Themyscira and being surrounded by my sisters. I had certainly made friends on the team, and outside it, with Audrey, but the bonds of thousands of years could not be remade in others in such as the short time it had been since I became a part of the Justice League.

Today had shown me what could have been, how indeed the team could have changed and developed over these last few years and I felt blessed by the gods that we had not followed the course that the Justice Lords had taken.

But my realization today had more to do with the budding relationship between myself and Bruce than the Lords and I was unsure of how to handle the next step, how to courageously face what I knew I had to do. And soon.

-VvV-

Rather than accompany my teammates to the portal to return the Justice Lords, I had instead decided to return to the Bat-cave, to give myself some time to prepare for my patrols this evening, to learn and discover what actions had taken place in my absence from Gotham and what I would likely encounter tonight. In all truth, I was eager for a simple night, one where I could return earlier and rather than wrestle with a foe or my thoughts, I could sleep, recharge myself and help to forget what had emerged between the Justice Lords' Batman and me.

These past few days had been fraught with emotion and tension and honestly, I was looking forward to having a few moments to process everything that had been coursing through me, to meticulously sorting out each detail and to again go over my plans in case of a rogue superhero. If today had taught me anything, it was that we were still in a delicate balance, a balance of the ordinary and extraordinary and each step, each decision could lead to failure in the mission, could led to an irrevocable transformation of ourselves and our world.

And today had illustrated to me that I was unwilling to make that change, that I was able to stand firm in the face of temptation, in the face of a world where, as the other Batman had put it, no eight-year-old boy could ever lose his parents because of some punk in a gun. It was certainly my greatest dream, the ultimate fulfillment of my purpose in the masquerade as Batman, but I knew that the methods of the Justice Lords went beyond morals, beyond the rights and freedoms that people should be allowed, be given as a birth right. And my parents would certainly have agreed with that statement, been proud of the work that I had done, both as Bruce Wayne and as Batman, in expanding Wayne Enterprises and the Wayne Charitable Foundation while doing my utmost, training and mastering techniques and skills in order to protect the people and Gotham City itself in the only way that I could.

Today, to put it simply, had been rough.

And although there was nothing I wanted more than to allow myself a few more minutes of relaxation and contemplation, outside, night had fallen on the streets of Gotham and it was time for my patrol.

-VvV-

I arrived via the teleporter at the Bat-cave, uninvited and unknowing of the time. All I knew in the instant that I had come to my realization on the Watchtower was that I needed to speak with Bruce, I needed to pour out my heart and hope that he understood my decision, that he to could feel that someone had changed in these last few days, in a quiet hotel room in Kasnia, in the magic of our date, and in the brutality of our clash with the Justice Lords. And I was on tether hooks waiting to tell Bruce, sitting on the edge of my bed in my room, when I comprehended that I had to tell Bruce now, that I could no longer afford to wait. I wasn't sure what Bruce's reaction to what I had to tell him would be, but I knew that I had to say it, that I couldn't simply wait and idly stand by waiting to the right time. The right time was now.

Unfortunately, I hadn't taken Bruce's nighttime proclivities into account and I arrived at the Bat-cave to an empty, cavernous room, devoid of all human life. I nearly stamped my foot in aggravation. Here I stood, poised on the brink of a major, life-changing decision and Bruce wasn't even here for me to enlighten him with what I had learned, what I had determined would change the course of our relationship.

Instead, I was once again alone. I had a feeling that I should probably get used to the feeling.

I wandered over to the main computer, tracing the back of Bruce's chair with my fingertips, feeling the warmth that still remained in the furnishing. Apparently, I had just missed him, I thought, taking a deep breath and comforting myself by taking his seat in the chair.

But I knew that I didn't want to return to the Watchtower, not right now, not tonight – I wanted to remain here, to surround myself with things that reminded me of Bruce while I pondered over the right words. I had left the Watchtower in a flurry of anxiety, confused and yet sure that I had made the right decision – I hadn't considered the words, other than the obvious ones. And now, here surrounded by Bruce, I was comforted and able to really think, to grasp exactly what I planned to do when he returned.

Lost in my reflections, I didn't hear the sound of footsteps echoing through the cave as someone approached. But I jolted at the feel of fingertips touching my shoulder, and turned quickly, seeing a face staring down at me with evident concern written into the wrinkled lines.

"Princess Diana? Are you alright?" Alfred asked me, removing his fingers and returning to his standard, formal stance. However, the look remained on his face and his eyes were glowing with sympathy, disguising the shrewd brain hidden behind the aging skin and white hair.

In desperation, I grabbed at his hand, knowing that Alfred would be willing to hear me out, to listen to my revelation and to offer his advice in any manner that he could. And feeling the warmth of the human connection, I began to talk.

An hour later, each of us had shed a few tears and I felt much more at peace, a much better grasp on myself and my emotions and not the vulnerable Diana that had first arrived here at the Bat-cave. I myself had never had a father figure in my life, but now I understood why Bruce cared so much for Alfred and the wealth of sentiment and understanding that existed between the two men. A stirring instance of that bond now existed between myself and the older man, filling me with an emotion that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but seemed to be a small slice of what I felt for my mother, that maternal affection.

He had pulled a chair over to sit down besides me and I was grateful for the chance to talk, to sit with someone in quiet companionship. I looked down at our entwined fingers, the withered knuckles resting side-by-side with my olive, youthful skin and I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and met his eyes with a tentative smile.

"Alfred? Would you mind if I waited down here for him?"

"Of course not, Princess. But I do suggest that you get some rest if you plan to remain here." He pointed toward a medical cot in one of the alcoves and I rose to my feet, grateful for his suggestion and his compassion in the light of my revelations. Staggering towards the bed, I collapsed onto it in desperate need of sleep and exhausted, mentally and physically, asleep before my head even fit the pillow.

-VvV-

It was going on three a.m. when I arrived back in the Bat-cave, parking the Batmobile in its usual spot before emerging from the top hatch, restless and at ends, ready to grab a few hours of sleep. Today, Wayne Enterprises could wait. After all, it was a Saturday and the hapless President wasn't needed to make an appearance in the office today and I fully intended to use that to my advantage.

I pulled back the cowl, letting the air hit my face and, walking back to the computer, I noticed a stirring, a slight movement from one of the alcoves just off to the side and immediately began my defensive maneuvers. But, materializing from the shadows wasn't a villain; instead, it was Diana, looking tousled and sleep rumpled and my heart sped up a bit at the sight. Obviously she had arrived early and decided to wait for me, even stealing a quick nap in the process. I looked at the long, tangled black hair, the right cheek red from being pressed into the pillow, and the feet, bare and utterly innocent without the red boots she normally wore.

Very softly, afraid to startle her, I questioned, "Diana?"

"Bruce." She emerged from the shadows, walking hesitantly towards me before wrapping her arms around my waist and lifting her face to mine for a kiss. Our lips met and immediately, I could sense that something had changed, that this wasn't the same Diana that I had kissed during a gondola ride on Wayne Manor grounds. Her lips held the same hesitation that her body had just seconds ago walking towards me from the gloom of the Bat-cave.

After several moments, we drew apart, our arms still encircling one another and I looked into her eyes, surprised to see tentativeness in the depths of the blue staring back at me.

"Could we sit down for a moment?" she asked me, and I noticed that there were two chairs in the Bat-cave, placed side-by-side as if another heart-to-heart conversation had occurred here earlier as well. I led Diana to one of the chairs and immediately sat in the other, pulling it towards her so that my knees were on the outside of hers, gently clasping her legs with mine. Reaching for her hands, I felt the chill in them, as if Diana were completely devoid of heat and began to rub them, trying to bring revive her warmth before gripping both of her hands in mine.

"Bruce," she began quietly. I noticed that some of the confidence had seeped back into Diana's voice and the coolness was rapidly fading from her skin. She withdrew her hands form mine, taking each and interlacing our fingers, and I echoed my movements from days before where I had rubbed her palms with my thumbs, creating a subtle and sensual connection between us.

"I realized today that life is too short to be wasted and infinitely precious and that with that preciousness comes certain obligations."

She paused for a moment and I pulled one of my hands from hers, running the pads of my fingers up her jaw in a sweeping motion before placing my thumb next to her eye, just along the hairline, combing my fingers through her hair, forcing her to meet my eyes. They still held a hint of trepidation, but I could see something else in the depths, some emotion that I couldn't quite name, but was beginning to blaze through the fear, something I wanted more than anything else and I could almost taste it, so close I was to receiving it.

"And one of those obligations is honesty – with ourselves, and…and with our feelings," she said, leaning into the fingers I had placed on the side of her head before opening her eyes wide, directly at me – and the truth I could read within them lit my soul with hope and a lightness that I had never felt before.

"Bruce, the honest truth is that I love you. And after what happened today, I knew that I had to tell you, that it was my obligation and…and my pleasure."

For the first time in recent memory, I couldn't move, completely stilled and at the same time, floored by the flood of emotions racing through my body. I couldn't answer the question in her eyes; just stare at her while hope flashed in its intensity in my eyes. The dreams of finding a woman to love me, to provide me with the light that would overshadow the darkness, at least for a time, would becoming a reality I had never expected, especially not in so short a time. The fight with the other Batman had left me somewhat vulnerable, and now my confidence filled me again, inundating the very marrow of my bones and it was due to the woman sitting across from me, staring at me with a wealth of love in her eyes. I wasn't even sure how to process the sensations engulfing me, couldn't find the words to answer Diana's proclamation.

So, instead, I fell back on action, wrenching her out of her chair as she gasped in surprise, and gathering her under her knees, I pulled her onto my lap, feet dangling over the side arm of my chair and head nestled into my shoulder. Contentment and peace filled me as I wrapped my arm around her waist, drawing her as close to me as possible, breathing in her scent as we nestled against one another.

"I wasn't sure how you would take it," she told me in a soft whisper. "I've been worrying about it all day, even talking to Alfred about it earlier."

"Diana," I told her, finally finding my voice and knowing that I needed to reassure the beautiful woman I held in my arms, "Nothing could have made me happier."

I felt that I needed to give her more, to explain my feelings and emotions in better detail. "When I had to face off against the Lords' Batman, it was like going against another part of myself, the darkest part of me. And I was tempted, I understood what he wanted, why he had made those choices and in some ways, I couldn't fault him."

I remembered the moments earlier when I had felt the lure of what the other Batman was telling me, when I had relived my parents' deaths and remembered what it had felt like to lose them to a punk with a gun.

"And then," I murmured, trying to find the right words to explain, "And then I saw you. I saw our team and what we've built in this world, and I couldn't give up that dream. And now, you've given me a spark of hope in the darkness I'm accustomed to. And for that, I love you as well."

The moment was lit with tenderness, in the contentment that laced our bodies together as we sat, our bodies and thoughts tuned to one another. While a part of me knew that this couldn't last, that something would eventually throw a wrench into the works, for now, I was surprisingly able to live in the moment, to enjoy what I had right now.

And suddenly, Diana yawned, the sound echo booming in the darkness and the moment was broken. "I guess I had better be getting back to the Watchtower," she said in her normal tone, yet she was unmoving, lying still in my arms and I could tell that she did not really want to return just yet.

"Princess," I whispered affectionately into her ear, "Would you do me the honor of sharing my bed this evening?"

She pulled back, looking at me with a trace of astonishment on her face. "Really?" And then that astonishment changed into worry – "Bruce, I'm not quite ready to…"

I cut her off, mid-sentence, giving her a little hug as I pulled her to her feet. "I'm not asking you to. I just want to hold you tonight."

She looked at me, and then a teasing look entered her eyes and she placed her hands on her hips, just as she had done in hotel room in Kasnia. "Keeping an eye on me?" she asked.

"Both," I told her with a leer before taking her hand and leading her up the stairs and into Wayne Manor, where she belonged tonight.

_Thanks for reading this story and hopefully, no one minded the ending and that they didn't tell Shayera or J'onn what's going on! They'll get there, I'm sure…_

_I'm hoping to get as many reviews for this story as I did for Duty Calls: 56. 7 to go! Help me out! _

_Next story: Every Word, set during the episode "Secret Society" where the Justice League faces serious internal friction and Gorilla Grodd sets up a team of villains to exploit it. Another BMWW first in the story! Just guess…_


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